Tank car



y 1,633,811 'u F. G. GARLICK TANK G AH June 28, 1927.

Filed July 12, 1926 Patented June A28, 1927.

UNITED-fSTATES- 1,633,811 ATENT om@ FRED er.` GARLICK, or jcrfIIoAGoz ILLINOIS,v

'AssIGNoR 'ro GENERAL AMERICAN TANK 'GAR coRroRAr'IomoR CHICAGQIL'LINOIS, A CORPORATION or ywris'r VIRGINIA, l

TANK CAR.

Y Application filed July 12,

As a preface to the description ot'iny im- 4provenient, it may be stated that itis desirable thatv the discharge valve, usualli)7 provided on ,the tanks of tank cars, be closed l y .S'before theido'me cover is closed, it being my if: tioning ot which will not be affected by relative movement ot the upper and lower por tions of the wall of the tank.

'Referring to the accompanying dra-wf elevation'of a portion 'of the tank of' a tank ca'r embodying my improvement, with cer` tain portions ofthe structure broken away. Figure 2 is a plan sectional view taken at 2.? the' line 2 onFig. 1 and viewed inthe direction of the arrow. Figure 3 is a viewin elevation of the upper end portion Vof the' discharge-valve-operating mechanism; and Figure 4, a broken section taken at the line 4 on Fig. 1 and viewed inthe direction of' the arrow. l Inthe particular arrangement shown,tlie dome, such-jas that commonly provided as a part of tank cars, is represented at 5, the manhole therein being indicated at 6. The plate portion l7 vrepresents the bottom of the tank which contains the lower discharge opening 8 through which the contents of the tank may be discharged, this discharge opening being controlled by a valve 9 connected with the lower 'e'ndjof a valve4 stem 10 provided adjacent its lower end with aright-hand screw-threaded por-- tion 11 which has threaded engagement with a bracket 12 located inthe tank and connected to the bottom plate' thereoil byA rivets 13 passing through the arms 14 of the bracket and openings in the bottom plate 7, whereby the lvalve 9 is seated to close the valve 9 by rotation of the stem 1() in clockwise direction in Fig. k2. j

The upper end of the valve stem 10 is square in cross section, as represented at 15, and extends upwardly freely through an opening 16 in a bracket 17 secured to the Figure 1 is a broken'view vin sectionalv 1926.1 serial No. 121,841/

side wall 18 of the dome 5.v Mounted on thesquared portion 15 of the-valve stem 10 is a stein-rotatingelement 19 shown as lin the form of -a hand-wheel-positionedto be'accessible to the operator by reaching downwardly through the manhole 6. The

-1 wheel 19 which is provided with a depending sleeve portion 2O contains a square opening 21 therein into which the squared portion 15 of the valve stem extends and in which itis vertically movable, 4the lower end ot' Vthesleeve 20 having a reduced portion* 22 providing a shoulder 23. The sleeve 2() extends 4downwardly through the openving 16 in the bracket 17 and is coniined against vertical movement in this bracket by overlapping engagement of the shoulder 23 with a bearing ring 24 surrounding the sleeve and resting on the upper surface of the bracket 17, and by a collar 25 located` below the bracket 17 and surrounding. the reduced portion 22 of the sleeve tu which itis rigidly vsecured as by 'the sei screwV 26, theprovi'sion of the valve-operating means as described permitting the operator, by operating the hand-wheel 19 in one direction or the other, to open or close the valve 9 atwill, thesleeve equipped handwlieel V19 remaining at the same "elevation at all times, andthe sliding driving connection between thewheel 19 and the valve stem 10 permitting of the raising 'and lowering'of the stem in the rotation of the latter andV in the relative vertical movement of the brackets 12 and 17 due to expansion and contractionvof the tank and distortion of thelatterunder load. v i Y Cooperating'with the discharge valve and itsoperating mechanism `above described,

A`are means for apprising the workmen of the Vopen condition of the valve 9 and preventing the dome cover, represented at27, from being seated to close the manhole 6, these means, in accordance with the preferred il? lustrated embodiment of my invention comprising a nut 28 which is internally screw*-vv threaded andy surrounds, and threadingly engages, a left-hand screw 29 provided on the sleeve 20, this nut beingy provided with spaced ears 30 carrying a pivoted pin 31 passing through one end cfa lever 32 ful'- Y cruined between its ends on a pin 33 carried by an 'upright support 34 on the inner.- end of the bracket 17. The other end oi': theilevei' 32' is pivotally connected at 35, to the lower end of a rod 36 the upper end of which slides in a guide 37 secured to the dome 5, the upper end of the rod 36 extending within the con- 'lines of the `wall of the manhole G and being movable vertically into and out of the dotted position shown in Fig. l, the dome cover 27 being provided with a depending projection 38, which may be a continuous flange, if desired, which extends in direct vertical alignment with the rod 36 and with which theglatter is adapted to engage.

The operation ot the mechanism is as follows: Rotation of the hand-wheel 19 in clockwise direction in F ig. 2 which operates to cause the valve 9 to become closed as shown in the drawings, operates, by reason of the engagement of the lett-hand screw thread 29 on the sleeve 2O with the nut 2S, to raise t-he latter to the position shown vin Fig. 1 thereby rocking the lever 32 in clockwise direction in this figure and lowering the rod 36 to the full line position therein shown in which the upper end or" this rod is in such a position that it does no-t interfere with'the proper seating ot the cover 27 upon thedome. Rotation of the hand-wheel 19 in theop'posite direction to unseat the valve 9 operates to lower the nut 28 to the dotted position shown in Fig. l, thus raising the rod 36 to the dotted position shown in Fig. l in which it extends above the wall ot the manhole 6 and in such position that it isvreadily exposed to view and the cover 27 may not be seated on the dome, and requiring that the wheel 19 be rotated in a direction to seat the valve 9, before the dome cover can be applied to operative position, it being understood from the foregoing that the means for preventing the dome cover from'being applied to closed position is operated automatically by the mechanism which controls the position of the valve 9,

whereby seating the dome cover while theY discharge valve is open is rendered impossible. The rod 36 being readily visible to the workmen when the discharge valve is in open condition, serves as a means apprising the workmen of the open condition of the valve and its cooperation with the domecover as stated prevents the cover Yfrom being closed until the discharge valve is closed, should the workmen fail to notice the indicator device, or ignore it, and attempt to secure the dome-cover in place.

One of the advantages ot my construction is that the valve and indicator, or stop forming member, will be maintained at all times in the proper relative positions irrespective ot' relative movement of the upper and lower portions of the wall of the tank.

Furthermore, by providing the double screw portions, reversely threaded, the construction is adapted for use with threaded valve structures which are required to be screwed to their seats and involve by Letters Patent, is: y

l. In a tank structure having an opening in its upper portion and an outlet, a cover for said opening, a valve for said outlet, a stem operatively connected with said valve and having a threaded portion, a stationary member with which said threaded portion engages, a second member operatively engaged by, and rotatable with, said stem and relative to which said stem is movable lengthwise, said second member being threaded reversely to said irst-'ret'erred-to threaded portion, a nut engaging the threads on said second member, a tulcrum mounted contiguous to said second member, a telltale device mounted near said ulcrum, and a lever mounted on said fulcrum,'one end ot said `lever being connected to said nut `and the other end of said lever being connected with said telltale device.

2. In a tank structure having an opening in its upper portion and an outlet, a. cover for said opening, valve mechanism for said outlet comprising a valve device provided with a threaded portion having threaded engagement with a stationary part ofthe structure'and a threaded member rotatable therewith, said valve and threaded member being relatively movable lengthwise thereof, a nut engaging the thread on said member and movable thereby, a fulcrum mounted contiguous to said member, a telltale device mounted near said fulcrum, and a lever mounted on said ulcrum, one endot said lever being connected to said nut and the other end of said lever being connected with said telltale device.

3.- In a tank structure having an opening in its upper portion and an outlet, a cover i'or lsaid opening, a vertically movable valve for controlling said outlet, an upwardly-ex vtending' stein operatively engaging said valve and having a threaded portion, a stationary member having threaded engagement with said threaded portion, a sle ve operatively engaged by, and rotatable with, said stem, and relative to which'said'fstem is movable up and down, said rsleeve being threaded reversely to the threaded port-ion of said stem, a nutengaging the threads on said member, a tulcrum mounted contiguous to said sleeve, a telltale ydevice mounted near said fulcrum, 'and a lever mounted on saidfulcrum, one end of said lever being connected tosaid nut andthe other end of said lever being connected Wit-h said telltale device.

4. In a tank structure in its upper .port-ion and an outlet, va cover for said opening, a vertically movable valve tor controlling said outlet, an up tending stem operatively engaging said valve and having a threaded port-ion, a stationary member having threaded engage- `ment With said threaded portion, a bracket 'o in the tank containing an opening through which said stem extends, a sleeve extending into the openingin said bracket and operatively engaged by, and rotatable With,vsaid stem, and relative to which said stem is movable up and down, means engaging'V said bracket for confining said sleeveagainst vertical movement, said sleeve being threaded reversely to the threaded portion of said stem, a nut engaging the threads on said member, a ulcrum mounted contiguous to said sleeve, a telltale device mounted near said fulcrum, and a lever mounted on said fulerum, one end of said lever being connected to said nut and the other end of said lever being connected With said telltale device.

5. In a tank structure having an opening in its upper portion and an outlet in its lower portion, a cover for said opening, valve mechanism for said outlet comprising relatively longitudinally movable sections one of which is rotatable by the other thereof, said sections having threaded portions,

the threaded portion ot' one of said sections having an opening Wardly-ex- 'fulcrum, vand a lever vtank structure, a nut engaging the threads ofsaid last-referred-tov section, a ulcrum mounted contiguous'to said last-referred-to section, a telltale device mounted near said mounted on said fulcruin, one end of said lever being connected to said nut, and the other end of said lever being connected with said telltale device.

6. InY a tank structure having an opening in its'upper portion and an outlet in its lower portion, a cover for said opening, vvalve mechanism for said outlet comprising relatively longitudinally movable sections one of Which is rotatable by the other thereof, said sections having reversely threaded portions,

the threaded portion of one of said sections having threaded engagement with a stationary part of the structure and controlling the openingrand closing of said outlet, the'other of said lsections being rotatable on, and movable verticallywvith, the upper part of the tank'structure, a nutv engaging the threads of said last-referred-to section, a ulcrum mounted contiguous to said last-reerred-to section, a telltaledevice mounted near said ulcrum, and a lever mounted on said fulcrum, one endy of said lever being connected to said nut, and the other end of said lever being connected with said telltale device.

FRED e. GanLroK. 

